More Aboriginal youths face jail

For the crime of stealing a packet of hamburger buns, a magistrate sentenced 17-year-old Sam Davies to 12 months in juvenile detention, reinforcing a trend that, according to latest statistics, sees Aboriginal children jailed at 31 times the rate of their white counterparts.

Davies had no criminal record when he appeared before the court in Parkes in New South Wales. While his sentence was later replaced with a six-month good-behaviour bond, lawyers say it demonstrates the harsh treatment Aboriginal children receive.